The family of 19-year-old Jason Pettey who was found hanging from a tree have spoken movingly of a “fantastic son and brother”.

Jason, an ex-Homewood School pupil, was discovered on a footpath behind Kent & East Sussex Railway in Tenterden.

Coroner’s officer Marion Hale said his body was found hanging from a tree in a copse off Station Road, Tenterden, on Tuesday, March 10.

He was declared dead at 7.43am.

A post-mortem at the William Harvey Hospital last Thursday revealed the cause of death as suspension.

The death is not being treated as suspicious.

“We should all aspire to be as kind-hearted as he was. He was such a great person – I am the person I am today because of him” - Brother Glen Pettey

His father, Vince Pettey, of Ashford Road, St Michael’s, said: “He should still be here, upstairs in his room and laughing at things on the television.

“He was a great kid and I could not have wanted a better son. I feel like I am stuck in a different universe.”

Jason’s older brother Glen Pettey, 21, said: “We should all aspire to be as kind-hearted as he was. He was such a great person – I am the person I am today because of him.”

Mr Pettey brought up his sons as a single parent and all three were very close.

The weekend before Jason died, they were together.

“There was no lead-up to what was to happen,” said Mr Pettey, "as a single parent, you develop a sixth sense for when something is wrong, but there was nothing.

“When the police called last Tuesday and said it was about Jason, I thought he had done something stupid.

“It is not real and does not make sense. How do you reconcile what has happened?

“He was one of a kind and was a huge part in our lives. We have accepted it, but he should still be here.

“When he came home from work, we would sit and chat and go to our rooms, then one of us would make a cup of tea.

“It was all so normal and now it is weird. It feels like he is on holiday – he should come home and go upstairs to his room” - Dad Vince Pettey

“It was all so normal and now it is weird. It feels like he is on holiday – he should come home and go upstairs to his room.”

Jason’s brother, who works at the Game store in Ashford, said: “He was my best friend. I could not have asked for a better brother.

“He was such a good person and did not know how special he was. We were there for each other and were incredibly tight as a family.

“When my father told me what had happened, I thought I had misheard him – I would not want anyone else to go through this.

“No one expected it. We spent the last weekend together and it was all laughs and jokes.”

Glen said Jason had a passion for music and played the guitar.

He was interested in the technical side and wanted a career in music, but knew that would be hard as there were few openings.

“He was with us for a year and was such a nice, gentle guy" - Tiho Klaric

He did a course in computers and radio music at Platform 5 in Ashford, a bar and music venue in Station Road which also runs radio, TV and DJ courses.

Owner of the venue, Tiho Klaric, said: “He was with us for a year and was such a nice, gentle guy.

“He was quite shy when he arrived but then came out of his shell and got into the radio side and did a radio show.

“We knew him very well and he was a wonderful student.

“It was such a shock when we heard what had happened, I could not believe it.”

Tributes from Jason’s friends have been a comfort to Vince and Glen Pettey.

The day after Jason’s body was found, up to 100 people gathered at the spot where many lit candles and left flowers and messages.

“Someone videoed it and when I saw that, I thought, I did not know there were so many people in Tenterden,” said Mr Pettey.

“The camera panned round to show them four or five deep. I was shocked at the number.
“Some very nice things were said. Jason touched so many people and this demonstrated the affection.

"To have so many people show up just showed how much of a loved person he was. I loved Jason like a brother and still do. I will live on with his spirit in my heart” - Friend Aidan

“The level of friendship he had was more than I would have expected, considering we just get on with our lives.”

Glen said he and his father were incredibly touched by the number of people paying tribute.
The impromptu vigil was organised by Beth Knight and Aidan Levett.

Beth said: “It was amazing. I’d only arranged a small get-together for Jason, but the word soon spread thanks to Aidan and others.

“Seventy-five to 100 people have been laying flowers and candles and even personal items for him. It looked like the stars were walking the earth.”

Aidan said: “I was amazed by the number of people who turned up.

“I said I was going to lay some flowers and just asked if anyone wanted to go with me. It was a very emotional experience. I want to thank everyone who paid their respects.

"To have so many people show up just showed how much of a loved person he was. I loved Jason like a brother and still do. I will live on with his spirit in my heart.”

Aidan, 20, a chef, said Jason had been one of his closest friends.

“He was one of a kind,” he said. “He was a genuine, lovely person who looked out for others.
“I last saw him at the beginning of the year but had not seen him since because I was busy looking for work – now I wish I had seen him more.

“I was devastated when I heard he had died and did not believe it.”

“He was such a fantastic friend so we wanted to do something. We want to put a bench at Homewood and two wooden guitars to reflect his love of music" - Friend Amy Haffenden

Another friend of Jason, Beth Knight, set up an online appeal to go towards the funeral costs and was amazed when the figure rose to more than £700 after just one night.

She said: “I set it up on Monday night and it started quite slow. When I looked on Tuesday morning, it was up to £715 which is incredible.”

The amount donated has risen to more than £1,000.

Beth, 18, who lives in Ashford, is doing a TV course at Platform 5 where Jason did a course in computers and radio music.

“We used to play computer games together quite a lot and meet for coffee,” she said.

An appeal to raise funds for a memorial to Jason Pettey has been started by his friends.

Another appeal is fundraising to help meet the funeral costs.

They have put collection boxes in St Michael’s Post Office and the Original Factory Shop in Tenterden High Street, where Jason worked, to raise money for a memorial at the school.

Amy Haffenden, 19, who went to Homewood School with Jason, said: “He was such a fantastic friend so we wanted to do something. We want to put a bench at Homewood and two wooden guitars to reflect his love of music.

“We haven’t set a target, we’ll just keep on raising money until we have enough. If there is anything is left over after we’ve paid for the bench and guitars, we will do something else for him.”

The funeral is yet to be arranged, but brother Glen said they wanted it to be a celebration of Jason’s life.

An inquest into Jason’s death has been opened and adjourned.

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